13 unforgettable incidents that would have seen rugby history re-written had a 'captain's challenge' been in place

In his popular World Cup column, top rugby referee, Nigel Owens, called for the introduction of a cricket-style captain's challenge into football and rugby. Here we look at how Wales, and others, could have tasted glory had this been in place

1905 - The Bob Deans ‘try’

You would have struggled to refer this one to the TMO at the time, but, if you could have, it would certainly have settled a few arguments.

Instead, the dispute over the try that never was has raged for more than a century.

With just minutes left at Cardiff Arms Park in 1905, Wales were beating New Zealand 3-0 when Kiwi centre Bob Deans appeared to score the try that would have given the tourists the chance to win the game with a conversion.

But by the time referee John Dallas arrived on the scene, Deans had been pulled back into the field of the play and Dallas ruled he had been tackled short of the line.

It was the only match New Zealand lost in the 35 match tour, their first to these shores.

Deans, who died at just 24 from complications following appendix surgery, is said to have exclaimed on his death bed: “I did score that try in Cardiff.”

1974 - Max’s match

This was an incident that was to inspire one of Max Boyce’s most famous lines.

With a pulsating 1974 Five Nations game hanging in the balance at Twickenham with ten minutes to go, Wales wing JJ Williams found himself sprinting, together with England duo David Duckham and Peter Squires, for the ball over the goal-line.

All three dived for it, with JJ claiming the score, but Irish referee John West said he could not award the try because his view was obscured. England won 16-12, their first victory over Wales at Twickers for 14 years.

JJ himself had no doubts on the matter. “No-one will ever convince me I didn’t score a perfectly legitimate try,” he declared. “My hand touched the ball down.” It led Boyce to pen a verse about the game, including reference to “the Sunshine Home in Dublin, for blind Irish referees”!

1978 - Andy Haden’s dive

This was an infamous act of gamesmanship which was labelled the ‘lineout of shame’ and the ‘wince of Wales’.

With four minutes to go at the Arms Park in November 1978, New Zealand were losing 12-10 to JPR Williams’ Wales as a line-out formed.

As the ball was thrown in, All Blacks middle jumper Andy Haden theatrically threw himself out of the lineout and referee Roger Quittenton awarded a penalty.

It emerged the English official had actually ruled against Geoff Wheel for climbing on the shoulder of the other Kiwi lock Frank Oliver, but that decision in itself amazed Wheel.

Either way, Brian McKechnie kicked the penalty for a 13-12 victory ensuring New Zealand’s first Grand Slam. Haden later admitted the All Blacks had devised the line-out plot in the build-up to the game.

Following a violent start to the 1980 England-Wales game at Twickenham, flanker Paul Ringer was dismissed by Irish referee David Burnett for connecting with the face of fly-half John Horton as he attempted a charge-down.

Compared to some incidents during that era it seemed pretty innocuous and would probably be a yellow card at most now. But, with tensions running high, it was an early bath for the Llanelli back rower and Wales went on to lose 9-8 .

“It was Peter Wheeler who got me sent off,” he recalled years later.

“He came over and said: ‘Ref, there’s going to be a bloodbath here if you don’t sort him out!’ But I like Peter, I’ve no grudges.”

1995 - Controversy in the Durban downpour

The 1995 World Cup semi-final between South Africa and France had been delayed by an hour due to heavy rain and violent storms at Durban’s King Park.

And it looked as though the Springboks’ hopes were going to be washed away when France’s Abdul Benazzi slithered across the line late on. But Welsh referee Derek Bevan disallowed the try and the hosts clung on for a 19-15 victory on the way to lifting the Webb Ellis trophy.

South African Rugby Union president Louis Luyt didn’t help matters in the post-match function by trying to present Bevan with a valuable gold watch. “It was something I could have done without,” Bevan said later. “It could be misconstrued.”

2002 - The hand of Back

With the clock ticking off the final moments of the 2002 Heineken Cup final, Munster needed a converted try to overturn Leicester’s 15-9 lead.

A scrum deep inside the Tigers’ 22 was to be the Irish side’s last throw of the dice.

But, out of sight of French referee Joel Jutge, England flanker Neil Back swatted the ball out of the scrum onto the Leicester side.

There were howls of protest from the Irish, but the incident went unnoticed and unpunished by the officials and that was that.

“I did what I had to do to ensure a win for Leicester,” an unrepentant Back later said. “I am not a cheat and I would be very upset if anyone accused me of being one.”

2005 - The O’Driscoll spear tackle

Brian O'Driscoll receives treatment after being injured in the first minute

This became a virtual international incident.

Just minutes into the first Test against the All Blacks in Christchurch, Lions skipper Brian O’Driscoll was tackled in tandem by Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu after the ball had been cleared out of a ruck. He was stretchered off the field with a dislocated shoulder and his 2005 tour was over. The independent citing commissioner found the New Zealand players had no case to answer. But, four months later, and following new footage of the incident, the IRB unequivocally condemned the spear tackle by Umaga and Mealamu and it led to a crackdown on that offence.

This would have been one incident where the aggrieved skipper would certainly have wanted to make use of a referral!

2007 - Barnes cops it from Kiwis

This was one occasion where it was the All Blacks calling foul.

They had various gripes following their shock 2007 World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of France at the Millennium Stadium. There was the harsh sin-binning of Luke McAlister and supposed missed French infringements in the second half.

But it was the forward pass in the build-up to Yannick Jauzion’s winning try which really enraged the Kiwis and would have doubtless provoked a referral if one had been available.

Young English referee Wayne Barnes came in for furious criticism from incensed New Zealand fans and there were reports of him receiving personal abuse and even death threats.

2009 - Burger ban

There were a few incidents that could have been referred upstairs in the brutal second Lions Test at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld in 2009.

For one, there was the dangerous shoulder charge on Adam Jones that earned South African lock Bakkies Botha a two week ban and ended Jones’ tour, leaving him with a dislocated shoulder that required surgery.

But the Lions would probably already have used up their referral in the first minute.

What was to prove an explosive encounter had begun with Springboks flanker Schalk Burger gouging Irish wing Luke Fitzgerald on the ground.

Burger escaped with just a yellow card, but the seriousness of the incident was later confirmed when he was banned for eight weeks after being cited.

Had he been sent off - as the offence demanded - the Lions would surely have won to level the series. As it was, the ‘Boks triumphed 28-25.

2011 - A tale of two balls

This is perhaps the classic example of how a captain’s referral could have changed the outcome of a game.

After Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips had raced in at the left corner of the Millennium Stadium during the 2011 Six Nations clash, Ireland captain Paul O’Connell immediately went to referee Jonathan Kaplan to complain. And it soon became clear why. Phillips had scored from a quick throw-in taken by hooker Matthew Rees who had used a different ball to the one kicked in on the full by Jonathan Sexton. O’Connell urged Kaplan to consult his TMO. Instead, Kaplan checked with his touch judge Peter Allan, who mistakenly said it had been the same ball.

It proved the match-winning score in a 19-13 Welsh victory.

2011 - Hook line and stinker

Ultimately, it would have made the difference between heroic defeat and historic victory.

During the first-half of Wales’ opening 2011 World Cup game against South Africa in Wellington, full-back James Hook struck a high penalty that looked to have gone over, but touch-judges Vinny Munro and George Clancy kept their flags down.

Referee Wayne Barnes did not have jurisdiction to refer it to the TMO and the Springboks went on to squeeze through 17-16.

“I felt it went over,” said Hook. “It is one of those things.”

Wales coach Warren Gatland added: “I thought it was interesting at half-time when we went in the tunnel and we were saying we thought the kick was over, and Frans Steyn said, ‘Yeah, I thought it was over as well’”

2012 - Bradley bashed

Inside the first minute of the 2012 Millennium Stadium showdown with New Zealand, Wales lock Bradley Davies was laid out off-the-ball by a forearm smash from All Blacks hooker Andrew Hore.

Hore’s hit from behind went unpunished by the officials, with the Kiwis going on to record a comfortable 33-10 win.

Had Wales been afforded the opportunity to refer the incident, the rugged farmer would surely have been red carded and it could have been a very different story.

Davies was hospitalised after the incident which was branded “a disgrace” by the Welsh management.

Hore was been banned for five weeks for his actions - a lenient sentence that provoked further condemnation - and by then the result was firmly in the record books.

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